We hope to have some ratties soon. Next week I am picking up half an Explorer cage from a local breeder (who doesn't have any ratties for us though). Someone on a rat rescue group who is local to me may know of some rescue babies coming up though. I am now trying to work out what else we might need. I thought this would be really obvious, but trying to look online all I see is negative reviews and am probably just overthinking it.
I am guessing we need:
water bottle
food dish
hammock
house/igloo type thing
toys
feed
bedding
Can anyone give any advice on what they have/use? I think in future we may make our own hammocks but to welcome our first ratties, think we'll buy, just this once 
I'm really excited now!
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Rat owners, a shopping list for a newbie please?!
16 replies
DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep · 16/05/2015 22:15
OP posts:
RattieofCatan ·
19/05/2015 09:05
A few water bottles, preferably you should have two on a cage at once. Just in case one empties/breaks or if they're pissed off at each other and stopping the other getting to the water. It's not common but these things can happen.
Two or three ceramic food dishes, just so you can throw one in the dishwasher/have a spare in case you drop one/etc. A larger, flatter plate-like dish is good for fresh food too. Ours get some of our dinner most nights and/or fresh fruit and veg. Sometimes tuna or a good quality pure meat/veg cat food (Applaws do pouches of chicken and veg which can do two or three days worth easily). Though the extra protein is only once or twice a week. These are good all-rounder bowls:
www.ratrations.com/rat-dish-snugglesafe-p-913.html
Pet shops have them too but they're a good size.
Hibiscrub is a good thing to have in the cupboard. Good for both human and animal wounds as it's a disinfectant.
Make sure any tetanus shots are up to date. You actually don't need them for fancy rats but if you get a bite and see a doctor for reassurance it's the first thing that they ask! I was sent to A&E on a Sunday by NHS Direct (or whatever they are now) a few weeks ago because I was a twat pissed off a Mummy rat by taking her 2wo babies and she bit me. After a prolonged visit at A&E the nurses I saw both said that as we'd hibiscrubbed it and covered it they weren't too worried and sent me home.
Some wooden rodent chew toys.
A hanging wooden parrot toy or two (good for chewing and climbing on)
Lava ledges
Cardboard boxes, any size and shape, they love using them as hidey holes
Cereal boxes with one side cut off make brilliant litter trays for bigger rats, our boys stopped using the large trays we bought but do use a cereal box (and it can just be binned, win-win!)
Nuts in shells, walnuts are particularly great. They're brilliant toys. You can buy bags from www.ratrations.com/
Rope toys, ours love them
Bird ledges/perches are usually good, the silicone ones rather than ones that are harsh on the feet.
Baby rings for hanging hammocks
Biscrok milk bones. Rat crack, I break mine into little pieces and use them to train Ashi.
Yoggies, ones with as little crap in as possible. They're good occasional treats.
Dried fruit is another good occasional treat
I've recently bought these little stick things, they're multi coloured and look like little pretzel sticks but at all different colours. No clue what they are but they're also ratty crack.
Peanut butter - handy to have as it's good for ill rats (fattens them up), brilliant for medicating them (mix meds in to hide taste) and a nice treat for them too. But it's a choking hazard so always mix it with a little water and/or honey on a plate before using it.
Be careful on nuts/seeds, they're very fattening so if they're in your mix as well just don't go overboard on treating them with them.
Here is a decent list of things rats shouldn't eat. Though ignore the bottom, you won't find lab blocks in the UK and most people use a meusli style mix. They generally can have most things so it's worth printing a list and sticking it somewhere that you'll see it:
www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?39486-Good-and-Bad-Food-for-Rats-amp-Ratty-Recipes
The main ones that are commonly in the house are poppy seeds and apple seeds, both can be very harmful to a rat.
I don't know if I linked you to it but this is one of the common mixes people make for their rats:
www.fancyratsforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=56
It's called the Shunamite, that's the updated and better version and it's the only place you can find that version. I'm not sure why she hasn't updated her website. If you can get a copy of The Scuttling Gourmet it's a really good book about diet for rats. I am struggling to get a copy but apparently the NFRS sells them. I've borrowed my breeders copy for now!
Find a vet now who knows about rats, though IIRC you have a relative who is a vet? Or was that somebody else?
If you're doing a shop at ikea any time soon, they have so many items online and in store which are brilliant for rats.
This fleece is brilliant, and no stupid seams on it:
www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/70242821/
We bulk buy it as we use it for makeshift hammocks, I sew hammocks with it too, it gets used on the bottom of our cages as we have aviaries that don't hold substrate. It also gets thrown on the sofa to cover it just in case of accidents.
This is really interesting either hung up or horizontally making another layer:
www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/70108912/
I've seen people using these but I can imagine that they have to be binned eventually:
www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/40123457/
Anything can become a rat toy
RattieofCatan ·
20/05/2015 19:30
ladymalfoy We don't have kids, just the rats. Get some for you
DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep ·
23/05/2015 20:55
Plus, 'rat crack'!!! I need some of those
OP posts:
70isaLimitNotaTarget ·
23/05/2015 21:16
Dreaming sounds like it's all under control and full steam ahead for the new ratties. Love the idea of a Five Child Cage.........
If you have a look at my Guinea-Pig wedding thread , it'll be like that gameshow (Bullseye) "This is what you could;ve won" if you'd gone down the guinea route........
Rats seem to be the cleverest and most acrobatic of the rodenty ones. The only downside is other peoples reactions.
(I've never kept rats , I like my rodents dim and on terra firma. Sorry pigs, y'know it's true 
)
RattieofCatan ·
23/05/2015 21:54
How exciting Just be wary that rescues can take some time to adjust! Patience is key with them and it's all dependant on their history too. Do you know anything about your two new boys? I love new rats You'll have to post photos.
RE rat crack, seriously, they'd bite my hand off to get those poxy colourful sticks 
You can make up your own mix very easily, but it does take a nice chunk of time every few months. Buying it from a breeder usually means you're getting a good mix, our breeder does one which I mix into my mix for variety or when my mix is running low. Ratrations do good mixes too. It's just much cheaper to make my own in bulk every 3-6 months than to buy premade mixes. It also means that I can tailor mine to my rats, what they like to eat and the health issues that they have (I have three seemingly permanently ill rats and an old lady!)
DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep ·
23/05/2015 22:06
I have to say 70 , I'm having major wobbles over whether these are the right pets- for finding someone to have them while we're away, (pretty much all bad reactions so far so that's not looking good) and them still not being very strokeable- and these not likely to be initially being older, less handled rescues. Plus I finally found some suitable rescue piggies an hour or so from us as none in our local place. Still, I hope this is just last minute nerves- I admit I'm a bit worried I can't meet them before they're here and we're committed- and they will be great, fun pets for us all!!
I am loving the piggie wedding thread. 'pigamy' had me in stitches
OP posts:
70isaLimitNotaTarget ·
23/05/2015 22:39
D'you know Dreaming I was seriously looking into buying rat females for my DS a few years ago, thankfully (for the rats) I didn't. My DS is not a good Pet Dad and when I did get the piggies (DD and DS had one each) I had to reclaim GP2 because my DS was basically not bovvered.
The advantages of rats over pigs that I can see straight away - the rats are central . They will be in your living room or dining room (or in the case of Catan taking over the entire house ).
I would never let DS keep an animal in his room- we'd never see it again.
DD has had the pigs in her bedroom on occasion (Guy Fawkes, a lone pig when we were waiting to rehome a new one) and each night they've been noisy and she's cuddled them
Ours are in at night over winter and they have their Pighouse where they run around, burrow in hay and make a mess
I think personally , if someone wants an agile, intelligent pet like rats or an independant , interactive pet like a rabbit, then a guinea-pig would be a huge disappointment.
I LOVE my guineas but I know not everyone likes them.
It sounds like your set up well for your ratties and when they settle in , you'll wonder what life was like before.
WRT holidays - we put our piggies into small animal boarding rather than ask a neighbour or friend. Small rodents have their routines and dietry needs. When you get them, ask if the Rescue does boarding?
Lots do or they can give you the name of someone who can. They might have one of their Foster Homes that will board rats?
Good Luck
RattieofCatan ·
23/05/2015 22:54
Rats are good "tester" pets, it sounds awful, but they don't live for long and are pretty robust generally until they get old (though if you met mine you wouldn't believe it!)
The rescues will take effort, but any rescued animal would take effort. Older boys are more likely to have a cuddle once settled though.
RE holiday, you could probably find a boarder nearby, we found one locally who is brilliant, she's so good. We found her on our local breeder's FB age so it may be worth asking on yours. Or on mine given that there are people from all over the UK on my breeder's page:
www.facebook.com/groups/121707247908142/?fref=ts
70 It's not difficult to have anything take over the house when you live in a box! Yarn and rats, that's what my flat has a lot of! They do take up a massive amount of our limited space thanks to the size of the cages but I wouldn't have it any other way :)
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